Japan Urges India To Speed Up UNICORN Naval Radar Agreement Processing

Japan has urged India to fast-track its internal official processing for the UNICORN naval radar system agreement. The two nations previously signed this technology transfer pact during Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's visit to India in July.

Defence Policy Updates

Japan plans to overhaul major policy documents covering defence, national security, and military supply plans ahead of schedule. A senior Japanese Ministry of Defence official stated that ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine prompted this early revision. The official highlighted the growing military use of drones and Artificial Intelligence, noting that countering drones with expensive missiles rapidly depletes military hardware within a week. Tokyo intends to field large numbers of diverse unmanned assets and integrate them flexibly with conventional platforms.

Regional Security

Tokyo is closely monitoring concerning military activities involving China, Russia, and North Korea. The Japanese official cited China's rapidly increasing and non-transparent military spending, joint China-Russia bomber flights near Japan, and an August 6 submarine-launched ballistic missile test in the South China Sea. Furthermore, the official noted that North Korea is assisting Russia's campaign in Ukraine in exchange for military technology. Despite these emerging challenges, the official emphasized that Japan maintains a purely defensive stance and will not strike first or assert military power aggressively.

Exercises And Cooperation

Bilateral naval exercises named 'Veer Guardian 2026' concluded last week between India and Japan. Additionally, the upcoming Quad naval exercise, known as Malabar, is scheduled to take place near the Sea of Japan before the end of the year.

Context

The UNICORN naval radar system represents part of broader defense technology cooperation initiatives between India and Japan under the Free and Open Indo-Pacific framework. Such bilateral and multilateral exercises among Quad members aim to strengthen maritime security and interoperability in the region.